Information below provided by Mallory Burton-Harris – Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Janelle Grum Family Crisis Center of East Texas (Women’s Shelter of East Texas, Inc.) – P.O. Box 510 – Lufkin, TX 75902 Phone: (936) 639-1681 Email: mharris@fccet.com Website: fccet.org
Two-day training will strengthen the use of expert testimony in cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, stalking and non-fatal strangulation
LUFKIN, Texas (August 19th, 2026) — The Family Crisis Center will host the Full Court Press Expert Witness Training, an intensive two-day professional training designed to strengthen the criminal justice system’s response to interpersonal violence and increase the effective, ethical use of expert witnesses in these complex cases.
The training, developed through The University of Texas at Austin’s Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, focuses on building the capacity of attorneys and multidisciplinary professionals to utilize expert testimony in cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, stalking, and non-fatal strangulation.
The program brings together professionals from multiple disciplines to strengthen collaboration between those who prosecute cases and professionals who may serve as expert witnesses. Participants will engage in instruction, demonstrations, case consultation, group work, and hands-on practice designed to increase their ability to effectively communicate the dynamics of interpersonal violence in court.
QUOTE FROM FAMILY CRISIS CENTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Whitney Burran — “Cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, and other forms of interpersonal violence can be especially complex. Trauma, coercive control, fear, and perpetrator behavior can affect how a survivor responds, remembers events, reports abuse, or participates in the justice system. Without specialized knowledge, those behaviors may be misunderstood by professionals, judges, or juries. When we strengthen our knowledge, we strengthen our entire community’s response to survivors. We are proud to bring this training to East Texas and create an opportunity for professionals across disciplines to learn together, build stronger partnerships, and ultimately provide a more informed, coordinated response for the clients and families we serve.”
Throughout the two-day program, participants will explore subjects including the ethical role of expert witnesses, perpetrator behavior and coercive control, the neurobiology of trauma, stalking, myths and biases in sexual assault cases, human trafficking and non-fatal strangulation. Participants will also take part in practical exercises involving expert qualification, case consultation, direct examination, cross-examination and redirect.
A key component of the training is moving beyond classroom instruction and giving participants opportunities to practice the skills they may ultimately use in the courtroom. Attorneys and experts will work together on challenging case facts, develop questions, practice testimony and receive feedback intended to strengthen both professional confidence and courtroom effectiveness.
The training is facilitated by Margaret Bassett, LPC-S, Director of Applied Research & Innovative Instruction at the Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault at The University of Texas at Austin and owner of IPV Training & Consulting. Bassett has more than 40 years of experience in the field of interpersonal violence, with expertise spanning intimate partner violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, stalking, trauma, safety planning, risk assessment and strangulation. Her experience includes consulting and providing expert testimony in criminal, civil, military, state and federal legal systems.
Bassett has also led statewide and regional expert witness training initiatives and has extensive experience providing case consultation, education and support in cases involving interpersonal violence.
The Full Court Press program emphasizes not only the knowledge required to understand interpersonal violence, but also the ability to translate that knowledge for judges, juries and other members of the justice system. Participants will leave with practical strategies they can bring back to their own agencies and communities.
The course has been approved for 13.75 hours of MCLE, including 2.25 ethics hours; 14.5 CNE hours; and 16 hours of CEU, including one hour of ethics.
Event Details
What: Full Court Press Expert Witness Training
When: August 26-27
Where: Janelle Grum Family Crisis Center Administrative Office
Hosted by: Family Crisis Center
Trainer :Margaret Bassett, LPC-S, Director of Applied Research & Innovative Instruction at the Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault at The University of Texas at Austin and owner of IPV Training & Consulting
Audience: Criminal justice, healthcare, advocacy, and allied professionals who respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, stalking, non-fatal strangulation, and other
ABOUT THE FAMILY CRISIS CENTER OF EAST TEXAS
The Family Crisis Center of East Texas (FCCET) is a non-profit organization that empowers survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault by providing crisis intervention and advocacy services. The FCCET also engages the community through education to build awareness and prevent domestic violence and sexual assault. Since 1979, the Janelle Grum Family Crisis Center of East Texas (Women’s Shelter of East Texas, Inc.) staffs a full array of professionals specializing in assistance for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Those services included emergency shelter, a 24-hour crisis hotline, access to food and clothing, information and referral, legal and personal advocacy, child advocacy, counseling, support groups, transitional housing, homeless prevention, financial assistance, child care assistance, and more.